CAS

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The Hill Giant Chief - Nosnra's Saga - Part XXVI

Ingigerd's
hand was big; it wrapped around Harald's neck and head, her little finger dug
into his throat, but her thumb was high across the top of the ranger's skull.
She squeezed, Harald pulled at her fingers and, blinded by her grasp, chopped
without aim at her wrist with the edge of his sword. A pressure built behind
his eyes. He could feel his sword jar against her bones but her grip did not
slacken, if anything it increased. Her desperation was great. As she felt her
life flow from her wounded side and arm her last wish was to take this human
with her to the grave.

*
* *

The
lightning arced through the hall once more. The giants writhed and their beards
and hair burned, their skin charred and finally they fell to the floor,
twisted, blackened and contorted with pain. Dead they still shook, muscles
drawing in, they curled into a ball as sleeping children would beneath the
covers of a bed.

"Die...
will you just die," Talberth muttered and put his wand back up his sleeve.

*
* *

Ivo
heard the yells of pain and angry shouts behind him. The young wizard seemed to
have things well in hand down the hall. He gave the giants facing Talberth's
lighting no second thought, but turned about and faced what trouble had caught
them unaware. He saw an ancient giantess fall back against the wall, a younger
maid moved like it was she who was old, slow and with great care. The elven
mage shouted something that Ivo could not hear and a dull green ray shot out
from his upraised palm and struck the slow moving maid, she seemed to sag and
Ivo could see a look of dismay come to her eyes. As he watched, the old
giantess, lying in a heap against the wall, suddenly came to life and snatched
the ranger by the head, he gave a muffled shout, but the crone had silenced him
with her wrinkled, massive hand.

Both
elven mage and gnomish wizard cast their magic toward the ancient crone.
Telenstil sent out a half dozen small bolts of blue glowing light, such as
Talberth had used against the stag. They struck the giantess in a ring of
burning blue across her chest and face, but Ivo's spell blotted her from sight.
The gnome formed a globe of utter dark whose outer edge swallowed the giantess,
leaving just her out-stretched arm in view. Her murderous grip was loosed and
Harald fell back, his face beet-red and streaked with bruises bound to take on
a darker hue.

"You
lying hag!" Harald yelled and swung his sword to cut Ingigerd's hand from
her ancient arm. She snatched it back as quick as she had lashed it out, and
Harald's blade cut nothing but the empty air.

*
* *

"Shut
that door! I can spell it closed!" Talberth yelled.

Edouard
picked himself up from where the giant's blow had landed him. He ran to close
the northern doors. The blackened bodies of the giants lay astride the gateway.

"These
cursed giants are in the way!" Edouard yelled back.

"Alright,"
Talberth shouted, "I see." He came running up and stood before the
open doors.

Outside,
the yard was wet with a light rain sweeping down, somewhere a giant howled out,
mad with fear, but great shapes moved beyond the edge of a huge log fire.
"They'll be coming soon enough," he said aloud. "Let them cross
through this," he took a square of silver foil from his belt and pulled it
apart, a yellow lump lay within. "Fo-Tia-Tikos," he intoned and threw
the sulfur toward the door. It exploded into a thick sheet of fire that filled
the open portal from frame to frame.

*
* *

"Do
not kill her!" Telenstil called to the angry ranger.

Harald
stood near to the young giantess; she had dropped her brush and backed toward
the now darkened corridor.

They
stood at an intersection, a hub for several passages; toward the west the Great
Hall, to the south both the corridor that the giantess had come from and the
chief's trophy hall, and to the north the outer door into the yard that now was
blocked with a wall of flame. There was another northern way, Telenstil's map,
once twisted round, showed it as the chief's private room, a meeting hall, and
his desire to examine it was even greater than his desire for escape.

Appendix N

Appendix N: (From Gygax's DMG)

Inspirational And Educational Reading

Inspiration for all of the fantasy work I have done stems from the love my father showed when I was a lad, for he sent many hours telling me stories he made up as he went along, tales of cloaked old men who could grant wishes, of magic rings and enchanted swords, or wicked sorcerors and dauntless swordsmen. Then too, countless hundreds of comic books went down, and the long-gone EC ones certainly had their effect. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies were a big influence, in fact, all of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy when we are very young, from fairy tales such as those written by the brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through bestiaries, and consultation of compilations of the myths of various lands and peoples. Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy, being an avid reader of all science fiction and fantasy literature since 1950. The following authors were of particular inspiration to me. In some cases I cite specific works, in others, I simply recommend all their fantasy writing to you. From such sources, as well as just about any other imaginative writing or screenplay you will be able to pluck kernels from which grow the fruits of exciting campaigns. Good reading!

Inspirational Reading:

Anderson, Poul. THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE, The BROKEN SWORD

Moorcock, Michael. STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS; "Hawkmoon" Series (esp. the first three books)

Norton, Andre.

Offut, Andrew J., editor SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS III

Pratt, Fletcher. BLUE STAR; et al.

Saberhagen, Fred. CHANGELING EARTH; et al.

St. Clair, Margaret. THE SHADOW PEOPLE; SIGN OF THE LABRYS

Tolkien, J.R.R. THE HOBBIT; "Ring Trilogy"

Vance, Jack. THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al.

Weinbaum, Stanley.

Wellman, Manly Wade.Williamson, Jack.

Zelazny, Roger. JACK OF SHADOWS; "Amber" Series; et al.

The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp & Pratt, REH, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, HPL, and A. Merritt; but all the above authors, as well as many not listed, certainly helped to shape the form of the game. For ythis reason, and for the hours of reading enjoyment, I heartily recommend the works of these fine authors to you.